JACEP
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The Emergency Medicine Core Content represents the central body of knowledge of emergency medicine and is presented as an itemized list of clinical diseases, major clinical symptoms, administrative entities, and physician skills. It comprises the nucleus of the actual practice of clinical emergency medicine. Finally, it describes the educational scope of postgraduate training and continuing medical education in emergency medicine. ⋯ All diseases and symptoms were included on the basis of four criteria: conditions which pose immediate life or limb threat; conditions which potentially require inhospital treatment; conditions which give rise to significant discomfort to the patient and conditions with medicolegal implications. The Emergency Medicine Core Content has been widely circulated and has input from numerous individuals and committees. All critiques were closely reviewed and employed to derive the final document as it now exists.
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A case of accidental shock to the head, caused by a cardiac defibrillator, is presented. The shock resulted in minor burns and symptoms similar to those of postelectro-convulsive shock therapy (ECT). ⋯ An assumption that the demonstration equipment was not real seems to have been the cause of the accident. Suggestions for prevention of further episodes are discussed.
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A case of alcoholic ketoacidosis in a 23-year-old chronic alcoholic, gravada V, para IV, is reported. Symptoms were constant, severe, nonradiating pain with crampy exacerbations, anorexia, nausea and vomiting. The patient had a tender and irritable full-term uterus. ⋯ Metabolic derangements combine to produce ketoacidosis more readily in the pregnant alcoholic. Differentiation of alcoholic ketoacidosis and diabetic ketoacidosis is important since treatment varies. For alcoholic ketoacidosis, treatment is vigorous rehydration with dextrose-saline while diabetic ketoacidosis usually requires multiple therapeutic modalities.